The Son of the House [J0258]

2020 - PB Gift-Worthy condition. A powerful Nigerian novel celebrating the resilience of women. In the city of Enugu in the 1970s, young Nwabulu dreams of becoming a typist as she endures her employers' endless chores. She has been a housemaid since the age of ten. Enugu is tall and beautiful and in love with a rich man's son. Educated and privileged, Julie is a modern woman. Living on her own, she is happy to collect the gold jewellery lovestruck Eugene brings her, but has no intention of becoming his second wife. When a kidnapping forces Nwabulu and Julie into a dank room years later, the two women relate the stories of their lives as they await their fate. Pulsing with vitality and intense human drama, Cheluchi Onyemelukwe-Onuobia's debut is set against four decades of vibrant Nigeria, celebrating the resilience of women as they navigate and transform what remains a man's world.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "A classic story of two women whose lives run in parallel yet are divided by class and struggle. Ultimately they are more connected than they think."; "The storytelling that was given between the two women throughout the book was strong, powerful, and the way the author would invoke emotions throughout their stories had me feeling like I was living alongside Julie and Nwabulu."; "ncredibly compelling narrative, fully realized and complex characters, insightful and engaging meditations on the changing role of women and the family in Nigeria over the last 50-60 years."